Panic struck the people of Srinagar as a falling meteorite was confused for a missile, hours after India confirmed conducting surgical strikes along the border in Pakistan. Onlookers in the Jammu and Kashmir capital took the 'missile' as a retaliation in the aftermath of the border tension.

The Indian Army on Thursday organised surgical strikes targeting seven terror launch pads across the LoC overnight in which heliborne and ground forces were used. Addressing a press conference, DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said India inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists and those who are trying to support them.

This is latest in the string of offensives India has launched against Pakistan since four attackers killed 19 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri when they targetted the rear office of an Indian Army infantry installation on September 18. India has resorted to several diplomatic measures and vowed to internationally isolate Pakistan ever since.

Wednesday night around 11pm FOX 28 received several reports of a bright light flashing across the sky and "loud boom." Multiple calls came into the newsroom and messages came in on our Facebook page with everyone who saw or heard it asking the same question: "What was that?"

Call it pure luck or call it talent but one Spokane photographer happened to catch the "bright flash across the sky" in a beautiful photograph. Tiffany Hansen says she loves shooting night scenes. Wednesday night, trying to photograph the aurora lights, which were happening that night as well, she stationed herself just north of Post Falls, ID but wasn't having any luck seeing them.

"I took one last shot and that's when the meteor happened. It was big, very bright and moving super slow across the sky. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I feel extremely lucky to have caught it on my camera," Hansen said.

Hansen took up photography as a hobby a few years back and has perfected her craft overtime. She especially likes landscapes and outdoor photography.

The fragment of Comet Encke entered our atmosphere at 111,000 kilometres an hour

More debris from the Comet Encke is likely to head our way in the coming weeks.

Stargazers enjoyed a spectacular treat on Tuesday evening as a spectacular fireball flew over the southern half of Spain, although it could be seen from more than 400 kilometers away due to its brilliant intensity and high visibility.

The phenomenon, which was caused by fragments from Comet Encke, was recorded by the Astronomical Complex of La Hita in La Puebla de Almoradiel (Toledo), who produced the video footage shown here and the astronomical observatory at Calar Alto (Almería), La Sagra (Granada) Huelva and Seville.

Dr Robert Massey, deputy executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society, said: "At first sight the trail in the image looks like a sunlit aircraft contrail — a vapour trail — set against a darkening sky. When the sun is low in the sky these stand out, and appear much more prominent than in the middle of the day.

"A meteor trail can be bright and linger, but will typically break up with the movement of air in the upper atmosphere.

"There is an outside chance this shows a trail of that kind, but to be sure, I would need to know how long the exposure was, whether there was a fast moving streak — a shooting star — before the photo was taken, and how long the trail stayed in place."

Comment: The same day, 500 miles south of Scotland, another meteor fireball was captured at dawn in south east London:

A light in the late night sky north of Dale Noel's home stopped him in his tracks last Sunday night.

"When I seen the light, it was like flying and the light was pulsing like it was getting brighter and brighter and brighter the further it was getting," he said.

He ran to tell his fiance he thought a plane's wing was on fire, but returned outside to an empty sky.

Then, "We both looked up in the sky and we saw the same thing. It made the same pass, so we started recording it," he said, "It was lighting up, lighting up, lighting up and then it blew up in the same spot the other one did. And then a third one came by."

Noel said, "We were just kind of freaking out, like what is this, what is this?"

Comment: And, as usual... the experts are wrong. Just because it is 'too slow' doesn't mean it cannot have been a meteor. They can and do spiral, change directions and even appear to 'halt'!